You can also use the MySQL functions for encrypting passwords.

While the usage of password() is discouraged in user applications, there is crypt() (which calls system's crypt, so it's exactly as Perl's crypt, with an 8 chars string limit). If you need MD5, therere md5(); also, you can use sha1() to get a SHA checksum of your password.

Full documentation can be found here.

Hope this helps.

Michele.